With many types of batch processing equipment, such as those found in dairies, breweries, and pharmaceutical plants, equipment of the batch processing facility needs to be cleaned between each lot of product processed through the system. The equipment typically includes such devices as tanks, pumps, valves and variously sized piping. Such a cleaning process not only makes for a better and more useful product, but is often required by governmental regulations, including FDA protocols.
However, such tanks, piping, and related hardware are often large in scope and difficult to access, thereby making the cleaning process quite cumbersome and costly. In early attempts, the large scale tanks of such operations would be manually scrubbed. While this method was sometimes effective, it was unduly dependent on the skill and diligence of the individual worker, and could often result in a physically hazardous environment for the worker. It can therefore be seen that such prior art systems resulted in excessive labor requirements, with little or no method by which the cleaning process could be verified or validated.
In recognition of these difficulties, many batch processing plants began to use a clean-in-place (CIP) procedure which would allow the equipment of the batch processing system to remain physically assembled and would rely upon the temperature, pressure, and chemical concentration of cleaning solution recirculated through the batch processing system to effect the cleaning process. In other words, after each lot processed through the batch processing equipment, the equipment would be shut-down, and a CIP apparatus would be connected and activated. The CIP apparatus would be connected directly to the batch processing system, and would deliver flush, wash, and rinse solutions through the tanks, piping, and valves of the batch processing system for cleaning purposes.
More specifically, the CIP cleaning cycle would normally begin with a pre-rinse cycle wherein relatively low grade water would be pumped through the batch processing system for the purpose of removing "loose" soil in the system and carrying the soil to drain. Typically, an alkaline and/or acid wash would then be recirculated through the batch processing systems at an elevated temperature. The actual choice between acid or alkaline or both would be governed by the type of operation and soil to be removed. This wash would chemically react with the soiled surfaces of the batch processing system to further remove soil. A third step would again rinse the system to drain with water, prior to an optional fourth step wherein an acid rinse would be recirculated through the batch processing system. The acid rinse would neutralize and remove residual alkaline cleaner and remove any mineral deposits left by the water. Finally, a post-rinse cycle would be performed, typically using a high grade of water or recirculated sanitizing rinse. The post-rinse cycle would typically be performed at an elevated temperature to permit fast drying of the equipment. Such CIP systems are well known in the art, with U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,897,829, and 5,427,127 serving as two examples.
While such physically fixed CIP systems have proven to be effective in cleaning the components of batch processing systems, they are not without drawbacks, namely, manifesting themselves in the form of expense and an inability to be easily modified. With regard to expense, it can be seen that such known CIP systems require additional piping, pumps, valves, and tanks for cleaning purposes. The CIP equipment is typically installed in a distinct area of the batch processing facility often requiring relatively large amounts of floor space. In addition, if the batch processing system is at all modified, the CIP solution distribution piping must be modified accordingly, at added expense, and additional down-time for the batch processing system. Moreover, it is sometimes necessary to clean only portions of a batch processing system, or clean additional, sometimes smaller batch processing system components. For example, a research and development laboratory or pilot plant for batch processes will require its equipment to be cleaned frequently for effective testing of the process. Such R & D and pilot plant facilities are commonly equipped with the same large scale CIP equipment as that applied to the actual production batch processing system equipment, at an unnecessary expense.
It would therefore be advantageous to provide a portable CIP unit which could be easily moved about a batch processing facility to clean any or all portions of the batch processing equipment, while at the same time occupying relatively little facility floor space, and allowing great versatility in cleaning operations as the configuration of the batch processing system changes.